Molly Weasley's Prayer
by Jade Star
Summary: Christmas during the war was no easy feat. In 1997, Molly has come to terms that the Golden Trio isn't coming home-- and comes to terms her children are grown up. Please review.


I pray you'll be our eyes, and watch us where we go.  
And help us to be wise in times when we don't know  
Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way  
Lead us to the place, guide us with your grace  
To a place where we'll be safe

La luce che tu hai  
I pray we'll find your light  
nel cuore rester  
and hold it in our hearts.  
a ricordarci che  
When stars go out each night,  
eterna stella sei

The light you have  
I pray we'll find your light  
will be in the heart  
and hold it in our hearts.  
to remember us that  
When stars go out each night,  
you are eternal star  
Nella mia preghiera  
Let this be our prayer  
quanta fede c'  
when shadows fill our day

How much faith there's  
Let this be our prayer  
in my prayer  
when shadows fill our day  
Lead us to a place, guide us with your grace  
Give us faith so we'll be safe

Sognamo un mondo senza pi violenza  
un mondo di giustizia e di speranza  
Ognuno dia la mano al suo vicino  
Simbolo di pace, di fraternit

We dream a world without violence  
a world of justice and faith.  
Everyone gives the hand to his neighbours  
Symbol of peace, of fraternity  
La forza che ci d  
We ask that life be kind  
il desiderio che  
and watch us from above  
ognuno trovi amor  
We hope each soul will find  
intorno e dentro s  
another soul to love

The force his gives us  
We ask that life be kind  
is wish that  
and watch us from above  
everyone finds love  
We hope each soul will find  
around and inside  
another soul to love  
Let this be our prayer  
Let this be our prayer, just like every child

Need to find a place, guide us with your grace  
Give us faith so we'll be safe  
Need to find a place, guide us with your grace  
Give us faith so we'll be safe

la fede che  
hai acceso in noi,  
sento che ci salver

It's the faith  
you light in us  
I feel it will save us

--The Prayer

~*~

**Christmas Eve, 1997**

Arthur Weasley carefully took the last of the dishes from dinner from the kitchen table, looking at his distraught wife sitting in the rocker by the fireplace, idly tending to some long put off knitting in her lap. The flames licked and cackled at the logs, filling the room with the continuing silence. Sighing, Arthur carried the dishes into the kitchen, setting them into the sink, and going to his grieving wife. He approached her slowly, like one would approach a hippogriff, and gently touched her shoulder with a loving hand.

Molly flinched lightly beneath his gentle touch and Arthur's heart broke.

"T- they never came home…. Oh _Arthur! _My babies never came home for c- Christmas!" Molly sobbed, burying her face in her apron, and sobbing loudly. Arthur tensed, the sudden blow of being reminded that not all of their family was here—and in the middle of a war no less.

Percy. Harry. Ron. Hermione.

All throughout the dinner, Arthur had made light and cheerful talk over the meal, doing anything to keep Molly's mind off of the four empty chairs that were in the corner of the room to make room for more guests.

"Mollywobbles… P- Percy will come around, you'll see. Ron—" he swallowed hard, barely bringing his youngest's name above a whisper. "Ron's with Harry and Hermione, they'll come back to us someday."

"S- some day, Arthur Weasley? They n- never should h- have left in the first place! I'm such a horrid, horrid mother! W- what kind of m- mother can I be if I can' protect my own c- children?" she sobbed.

"You're a good woman, Molly." Arthur said softly, crouching down beside her sobbing form, and taking her hands in his own. He looked at her with those loving eyes, the same eyes that teared up when he got down on one knee to propose to her all those years ago in the common room just before their graduation. He'd loved her then, and his love for her only grew stronger with time.

"Y- you're just saying that, Arthur!" Molly insisted, sobbing even more loudly than before. Arthur shook his head.

"No. You're just in a upset state, now." Arthur reminded her. Molly dried her tear stain eyes with a dry spot on her apron.

Y- you really… mean that?" she whispered.

"Of course I do, Molly. I know our boys. We've known Harry and Hermione for a long time now. Percy just needs to figure out his priorities, and Ron, Harry, and Hermione will come home when their mission is completed."

"I know about it Arthur…." Molly said, in barely an audible whisper. "I learned about it last summer a- and I c- couldn't stop them! I t- tried, Arthur! I s- should have been stricter with H- Harry and Ron, I should have written the Granger's sooner, I should have—"

"There could have been a thousand what-if's my dear. I doubt anything could have kept them from leaving. Harry knew what Dumbledore had tasked him, and Ron and Hermione left by their own free will. We must respect that, and be strong for them so they can finish up the fighting and return to us."

"B- but what if they don't?" Molly said, paling at the thought of boggart coming true. Arthur kissed her dish water wrinkled hands lovingly.

"They won't. They've been fighting the dark since they were only eleven years old. They're stronger together then they are apart. They'll be fine."

"I wish I had your faith, Arthur. I try…. But I get so afraid…."

" Have faith Molly. I know its hard, but… its something to hold on to. We pulled through the last war, slightly dented but stronger still."

"Slightly dented…. But stronger… like a family." Molly said, eyes hot and wet with a fresh onslaught of tears.

"Yes, my dear. _Our _family." Arthur confirmed.

~*~

Molly on and off uneasily in the rocker. When she awoke, the clock was striking thirty minutes after midnight.

Christmas Day.

The fire in the hearth burned down to a few embers nestled between the coals, and the light of the moon was seeping through the window. Rubbing her eyes to clear them, Molly saw Arthur sleeping by the fireplace, his coat thrown over him like a makeshift blanket.

_How long have I slept? All night? Oh… its… morning… Christmas morning…_

The full realization came to her— Christmas had passed, with no sign of the Trio. She felt the prickle of Percy's betrayal and the sadness nearly overwhelmed her once again. She rose from the rocker, stiff, and began to crack her aching joints back into place.

_Oh Arthur… thank you.. you make everything turn out all right._

Molly slowly went to the front window, rubbing the frosty paned glass to see a marvelous sight- besides their adorned house of magical and muggle decorations, a new fresh white power had fallen, making the entire area white and anew. Reaching for her cloak, Molly stepped out into the pre-morning, taking a deep breath of the fresh winter air. The frosty air nipped at her cheeks, drying the tear stains almost immediately. Lifting her eyes to the starry sky, she saw a shooting star streak across, before vanishing, the faintest trail seen before disappearing as well.

She thought about them, missing them the most, especially at this time. Her first Christmas without her baby boy- without Harry or Hermione, whom she'd considered her own years ago when they first became friends. She did not feel the pain of negligent mother, but rather the double edged sword of the pain of watching her children becoming stronger, smarter, faster by the day, and not knowing how to handle it.

Watching them grow up. Watching them lead their own lives. Watching from the sidelines while they plunged into battle after battle, facing magic of the darkest sort to protect their world—

To protect her.

_I have to stay strong. Ronnie…. Come home soon. Harry, my second son, Hermione my lovely daughter…. Wherever you are, I'm with you. When you're cold, I'll warm you. When you're afraid, I'll wake you from your nightmares. When you're lost, I'll guide you home._

She was faintly reminded of a beautiful muggle song she heard once when she was younger, the lyrics dancing in her mind.

_I pray you'll be our eyes, and watch us where we go.  
And help us to be wise in times when we don't know  
Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way _

_  
Lead us to the place, guide us with your grace  
To a place where we'll be safe_

That was her message. That was her prayer. Blowing on her hands to warm them, she lowered her eyes from the sky, rubbing them with the back of her hand. The tears flowed freely down her red cheeks, but now they flowed from happiness, not sadness.

It would be alright. Their family would be alright. They would be alright.

_The light you have  
I pray we'll find your light  
will be in the heart  
and hold it in our hearts.  
to remember us that  
When stars go out each night,  
you are eternal star _

Molly felt different. She felt stronger now. Bolder now. Although there were many tough challenges ahead, and the war far from over, she felt something she hadn't felt in months---

She finally felt at peace.

Turning back to go into the house to set the tea kettle to boil, Molly glanced about at the snow covered plains and forest around and whispered a prayer:

_It's the faith  
you light in us  
I feel it will save us_

" Ron…. Harry… Hermione…. I love you. I pray that you'll come back to us. Come back to me. Stay safe, stay strong, and I'll see you all soon. Merry Christmas."

_A/N: Always wanted to do a Molly/Arthur fic, and the Christmastime is my favorite part of Deathly Hallows. So much free reign for fanfic, I think. Please review—I'd really like it!_

_Yours,_

_J. Star_


End file.
